It’s time to protect your ‘smart’ machines

Ransomware attacks and other cybercrimes occur millions of times every year, and today’s interconnected world continues to provide them with new targets by the minute. Until now, they have been largely confined to computers and computer-based systems -- but that’s likely to change in the not too distant future.

According to cybersecurity experts surveyed by Construction Europe magazine, the next targets may very well be the machines the construction industry depends on every day. That’s because they are increasingly connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) which makes them vulnerable to hackers.

“I promise you that in the not-too-distant future, there will be a ransomware attack on cranes or some other smart construction machine,” Jan Wendenburg, chief executive of German IT security specialist OneKey said.

Part of the answer is to make sure your machines are protected against hacking in the same ways your computer systems are. Anti-virus software, firewalls and security updates need to become as common on the jobsite as they are in the office.